Keep 'em guessing: Cleveland actress talks zany 'Clue' tour, coming to Akron next week

Manic, murderous fun will be served along with blackmail as six guests gather for dinner at Boddy Manor in the comedic whodunit "Clue" at E.J. Thomas Hall next week.

The national tour of "Clue," a play inspired by the beloved Hasbro board game and based on the 1985 film, will play at the University of Akron April 23-25 as the final show of the Broadway in Akron season. Amid its cast of 15, Cleveland native Mariah Burks is making her national tour debut as the Cook and others.

Burks, who trained in the Case Western Reserve University/Cleveland Play House MFA Acting Program, has been a regular in the Northeast Ohio theater scene, performing at Cleveland Play House, Dobama Theatre,Karamu House and Cain Park. The 31-year-old's lead roles have included the title role in "Antigone" at Cleveland Play House and Sarah in the musical "Ragtime" at Cain Park.

Now, on tour, she's returning to the role of the Cook that she played in "Clue" at Cleveland Play House in 2020. In that production, the last that Cleveland Play House mounted before the COVID-19 shutdown, Burks appeared on stage with fellow MFA student Elisabeth Yancey as maid Yvette, who's also on tour with "Clue" now.

Other former Cleveland cast members returning to "Clue" on the tour are John Treacy Egan as Colonel Mustard and Mark Price as butler Wadsworth. In another Northeast Ohio connection, Alex Syiek, a Baldwin Wallace University graduate who has performed often at Great Lakes Theater in Cleveland, plays Mr. Boddy on tour.

Burks and the Cleveland cast worked directly with playwright Sandy Rustin back in 2020 as Rustin tweaked the comedy for its regional premiere. Director Casey Hushion, who's worked on "The Prom," "Mean Girls" and "Aladdin" on Broadway, was at the helm of "Clue" both then and now.

"We were able to work with Sandy (Rustin) for the entire process, which was really amazing," Burks said of her original "Clue" rehearsal process in Cleveland. "We were able to make it this even more larger-than-life and more true-to-the-film type of production."

In this story, all six main characters — Colonel Mustard, Miss Scarlet, Mrs. Peacock, Mrs. White, Mr. Green and Professor Plum — have secrets. And of course, all of the game's iconic murder weapons — the lead pipe, dagger, wrench, rope, revolver and candlestick — make very important appearances.

As the body count grows, so does the comedy's mayhem, combining farce and slapstick comedy with classic mystery and suspense. It takes precise choreography by director Hushion to pull off all this on-stage chaos.

"She approached it with very specific vision and a very strategic approach when it comes to how this beast of a show has to move in order to swiftly and coherently get through just 80 minutes of what was an almost two-and-a-half-hour film," Burks said by phone Wednesday from the tour in Columbus.

How Burks booked 'Clue' tour

After the actress let tour producers know she was interested in returning to the role of the Cook that she originally helped create and shape in "Clue," Burks had an expedited audition process and found out in early January that she landed the role. A couple weeks later, the cast was rehearsing in New York for the yearlong tour, which started in February in Minneapolis.

Touring has been a lifestyle adjustment for Burks.

"Every day is a constant reminder of how incredibly impactful and magical that theater really is. It's very transformative in many ways as well. Just adapting to this lifestyle and going from city to city, it really does take a lot of resilience. It takes a lot of accountability," she said. "Every week, I have something new to explore and something new to learn."

She grew up playing the Clue board game and is also a fan of the film. Now, as the Cook in the stage comedy, her character's food comes under suspicion by the six main suspects, who are constantly in fear for their lives.

Burks said it's fun to play a character that's different from her own personality. The Cook is brooding, cold, intimidating and dead inside.

"The Cook is the polar opposite of Mariah. I am a very joyful, bright, optimistic, willing-to-talk-to-people type of person," the actress said.

Expect a quick pace at 'Clue'

This cast has thrown itself into the speedy pace of the show.

"Once you're on you're on, and there's no stopping. There's no intermission and everything does not come to a halt until the very end," Burks said. "It's a wonderful pace."

She's often asked if the ending for the "Clue" stage production changes like the 1985 movie did.

The answer is no. But the show is sure to keep audience members guessing until the final twist.

"Just come in with an open mind and some room for hearty laughter," Burks said. "It's a wonderful experience, a very unexpectedly wonderful experience."

Arts and restaurant writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.

Details

Comedy: "Clue"

When: 7:30 p.m. April 23-25

Where: E.J. Thomas Hall, 198 Hill St., the University of Akron

Onstage: Mariah Burks, John Treacy Egan, Michelle Elaine, Joanna Glushak, Tari Kelly, Mark Price, John Shartzer, Jonathan Spivey, Slex Syiek, Teddy Grice, Elizabeth Yancey

Offstage: Sandy Rustin, playwright; Hunter Foster and Eric Price, additional material; based on the screenplay by Johnathan Lynn; Casey Hushion, director; Michael Holland, original music; Lee Savage, scenic design; Jen Caprio, costume design; Ryan O'Gara, lighting design; Jeff Human, sound design

Cost: $25-$95

Information: Call 330-972-7570 or 216-241-6000 or see uakron.edu/ej or playhousesquare.org

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland actress makes national tour debut in comedic whodunit 'Clue'